Minor and Concentrations in Materials Science and Engineering

Why Consider a Materials Science and Engineering Minor?

Materials Matter! Advances in materials have driven the development of human civilization and are a key factor in most modern technological progress. Material properties, material processing issues, or material costs are the limiting factor in the design or performance of almost all systems around us- computers, aircraft, automobiles, transportation infrastructure, prosthetics and other biomedical devices, to name just a few. Engineers, scientists, and managers in all technological sectors often must make material selection decisions based on a variety of considerations, including properties, performance, environmental impact, and cost. Material failures or inappropriate material selection decisions are often a factor in tragic loss of human life or financial losses for corporations.

The cross-disciplinary nature of materials is clearly evident at WPI, where active materials research occurs in the departments of Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematical Sciences, and Electrical Engineering.

A Minor in Materials at WPI, feasible within a 15 unit program of study, will benefit students who wish to enhance their disciplinary major with an additional degree designation in the area of materials. Opportunities for "double counting" of courses are available for at least six different majors. Here are just a few examples of some reasons why particular majors might consider in a Minor in Materials:

Biomedical Engineering: Prosthetic Devices, materials science of skin and bone.
Chemistry and Chemical Engineering: Material synthesis and processing.
Electrical Engineering: Solid State Devices
Mathematics: Modeling and computation of material structure, properties, and processes.
Mechanical Engineering: Selection of materials for mechanical designs
Physics: Solid state devices. Expand knowledge on the properties and applications of materials.

Planning a Materials Minor

A form is available to aid you in planning a materials minor. It is available below as a PDF - simply download and print it to begin the planning process.

Download the Planning Form

Requirements for the Materials Minor

The minor requires the completion of 2 units of work as described below:

1. ES 2001 Introduction to Materials Science (1/3 Unit)

2. Electives selected from the following list (1 1/3 Units):

CE3026: Materials of Construction
CH3410: Principles of Inorganic Chemistry
CH2310: Organic Chemistry I
CH2320: Organic Chemistry II
CH2330: Organic Chemistry III
CH4330: Organic Synthesis
CH4550: Polymer Chemistry
CM3601: Chemical Materials Engineering
EE3901: Semiconductor Devices
ME2820: Materials Processing
ME3801: Experimental Methods in Materials Science & Engineering
ME4718: Advanced Materials with Aerospace Applications
ME4810: Automotive Materials & Process Design
ME4813: Ceramics and Glasses for Engineering Applications
ME/BE4814: Biomaterials
ME4832: Corrosion and Corrosion Control
ME4840: Physical Metallurgy
ME4860: Food Engineering
PH3502 Solid State Physics

Students who are able to design their undergraduate program of study such that they have sufficient preparation may also use the following graduate courses toward a Materials Minor: all MTE graduate courses; CHE 508; Catalysis and Surface Science of Materials; and CHE 510, Particulate Systems.

3. Unit Capstone Experience (1/3 Unit)

The capstone experience requirement for the Minor in Materials must be satisfied by an upper level course or IS/P activity that integrates and synthesizes material processing, structure, and property relationships as they affect performance.

i. Courses that satisfy the capstone experience requirement currently include ME4810, ME 4813, ME 4814, and ME4821. Other courses must be approved in advance by the Program Committee for the Minor in Materials.

ii. Students must satisfy the capstone experience requirement by completing a 1/3 unit IS/P that receives prior approval from the Program Committee for the Minor in Materials. The IS/P may, for example, take the form of a laboratory experience or may augment the MQP or IQP, considering in depth the materials issues associated with the project topic (see Notes c. and d.). An IS/P related to the MQP must be distinct from the core 1 unit of the MQP and in most cases would be advised by a faculty member other than the MQP advisor.

Notes

a. In accordance with the Institute-wide policy on Minors, academic activities used in satisfying the regular degree requirements may be double counted toward meeting all but one unit of the Minor requirements. (see pages 25-26 of the Undergraduate Catalog.)

b. Physics IS/P courses in Superconducters, Photonics, and Lasers may also be counted toward the Materials Minor. In addition, other new or experimental course offerings in the materials area may be approved by the Materials Minor Program Review Committee.

c. Examples: An ECE major designing an integrated circuit for his/her MQP might conduct a separate analysis of the materials issues related to heat management in the devices as the capstone experience for the Minor in Materials; an ME major specifying a gear in a design MQP might conduct a separate analysis of the material processing, structure, and property issues affecting fatigue life of the gear.

d. In accordance with the Institute-wide policy on Minors, the MQP cannot be counted toward activity for a Minor. Therefore, a ME, CHE, or any other major whose MQP is judged to be predominanly in the materials area by the Program Review Committee may not count an extra 1/3 unit augmentation of their MQP as their capstone experience in the Minor.

e. The following faculty serve as the Program Review Committee for the Minor in Materials and will serve as Minor Advisors: Richard Sisson (ME), Chrys Demetry (ME), Tahar El-Korchi (CEE).

Permissible Major-Minor Combinations

The Materials Minor is available to students of all majors. Students can earn either a Materials Minor designation or a Materials Concentration, not both.

Concentration in Materials

Concentrations in Materials are available for Mechanical Engineering and Chemical Engineering majors. Operationally, MQP is the key factor distinguishing the Concentration from the Minor. A ME or CM major who completes his or her MQP on a materials topic along with the required two units of course work would earn a Materials Concentration. This total of at least three unit of work in the Materials are would provide the maximum amount of focus available for these majors.

Requirements for the Materials Concentration in Mechanical Engineering

Select 2

ME2820 Materials Processing
ME4816 Materials Optimization
ME4822 Solidification Processing

Select 2

ME3023 Mechanical Behavior and Modeling Properties of Engineering Materials
ME3811 Microstructure Analysis and Control
ME4813 Ceramicsand Glasses for Engineering Applications
ME4814 Biomaterials
ME4832 Corrosion and Corrosion Control

Select 2

ME4840 Physical Metallurgy
ME5340 Analytical Methods in Materials Engineering

Plus a Material Science MQP

Requirements for the Materials Concentration in Chemical Engineering

Select 3

CM3601 Chemical Materials Engineering
ES2001 Introduction to Materials Science
CM543 Molecular Sieves
CM508 Catalysis and Surface Science of Materials
ME2820 Materials Processing
ME3811 Microstructure Analysis and Control
ME4813 Ceramics
ME4814 Biomaterials
ME4821 Chemistry, Properties, and Processing of Plastics
ME4840 Physical Metallurgy
ME4850 Solid State Thermodynamics
CM4550 Polymer Chemistry

One Unit:

Additional courses from the above list, or portions of IQP, Sufficiency, or SS courses that result in a coherent and focused program of study in materials.

Plus an MQP in the area of Materials.

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Last modified: Jan 22, 2007, 15:26 EST